Boxing: Talk of Rematch--Fury's Stock Soared While Wilder's Soured

It's been a few weeks since Tyson “The Gypsy King” Fury, 27-0-1, 19 knockouts embarrassingly almost to the point of making him look somewhat amateurish, out-boxed W.B.C. Heavyweight Champ Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder, 41-0-1, 39 k.o.’s in an exciting 12 round fight that unfortunately was called a draw.

I hear there's talk of a May rematch.

What the world wide fight fans anticipated on Saturday, December 1 at the Staple Center, Los Angeles, California, was really a shock or pleasant surprise depending on which fighter they favored. The live celebrity filled audience of almost 18,000 and the global pay-per-viewers were stunned. Fury's great ring generalship, dismantled and weakened the destructive knockout power of the expected victor of this classic Heavyweight Championship fight.

Tyson Fury won the fight by a wide margin pulling a well-deserved victory out of the well of defeat by my score. My friend Black Star News publisher Milton Allimadi, who had called a quick knock our victory for Wilder was wrong. In reality, he started hedging before the fight when he saw the tapes of Fury in training. "How can someone that size move like that?" Allimadi gasped.

During all of the statewide press conferences and training camp exhibitions and interviews, both Fury and Wilder confidently predicted victories by knockouts, which was believable due to the frenzied and vicious verbal attacks they launched at each other every time they met. At the official weigh-in the promoters were obligated to keep them separate to avoid any more conflicts jeopardizing this mega ring war.

Fight night even the preliminary fights which included heavyweight Luis “King Kong” Ortiz, and Junior Middleweight W.B.A./I.B.O. Champ Jarrett “Swift” Hurd, was of an electric vintage leading up to the heavyweight fight. During referee Jack Reese’s instructions you could almost see and sense the “David and Goliath” presence between 6’9”, 256.5 pounds Fury and 6’7”, 212 pounds, Wilder.

Fury true to his prediction began to outbox Wilder with long jabs and speed moving around the ring in his somewhat clumsy but determined style not allowing Wilder to land any meaningful punches. "After the second round I could tell that Fury was going to win. Even if he was knocked down I knew he would get up," Allimadi told me after the fight. "He was on a mission; his opponent Wilder was in a mere boxing match. Mission wins."

During the first 5 rounds I noticed that Wilder although moving forward trying to land his right one-handed knockout punch seemed very confused and off target as he threw lethal punch after lethal punch continuously missing as Fury danced out of harm’s way mocking him, sometimes locking his hands behind his back like a Roy Jones, Jr. style, and sticking his tongue out. It seemed that Fury’s well prepared battle plan was working to his advantage, even bobbing and weaving, a lost boxing defensive art form, as Wilder kept desperately moving forward and missing with every punch.

I realized that what I had seen in some of Wilder’s previous fights was that he only had one hand, and that was just the knockout powered right hand that had knocked out 39 previous opponents. It also seemed to me that Fury was not “tailor-maid” like Wilder’s past opponents to be knocked out so easily. Fury fearlessly prepared well with his 3 trainers Ben Davison, Hall of Famer Freddy Roach and former world champ Ricky Hatton.

I started to think that since Fury began to tire around the 7th round Wilder might finally knock him out, but surprise, surprise, Wilder was also tiring badly because he'd missed so many punches. From my view during the entire 12 rounds I totaled approximately 37 punches, right hands and left hooks, thrown by Wilder that missed its intended target, Tyson Fury, which was also draining Wilder’s stamina.

Suddenly in the 9th round Wilder landed his lethal right and knocked Fury down as the crowd roared sensing the end was near for Fury; but that was not to be because after taking the mandatory 8 count Fury roared back at Wilder.

This exciting fistic classic with Fury dominating continued until the 12th round when Wilder finally landed the explosive right hand punch he was hoping to land from the very first round knocking Fury down and almost out. A motionless Fury laid flat on his back for a few seconds as the referee counted the fatal numbers. Suddenly, Fury rolled up, just barely beating the 10 count much to the surprise of the audience and no doubt a shock to Wilder.

As Wilder rushed forward to “finish” Fury, to Wilder’s surprise Fury threw a right hand that hurt Wilder stopping his forward move. That punch could have prevented Fury from being knocked out. Fury and Wilder then fought at a phone booth style toe to toe until the final bell.

Knockdown rounds are always judged as 10-8 but, the 12th round battle between Fury and Wilder was so furious and even, that I scored it a 10-9 round. This 12th round could very easily be a candidate for round of the year.

True warriors and good sportsmen Wilder and Fury hugged and congratulated each other, that gesture was greeted with applause from the fans. When the decision was read Staple Center was inundated by cheers and boos because it was called a draw.

The fight judges totally disagreed in their scores. Judge Alejandro Rochin gifted Wilder by a score of 115/111, which was irrational; judge Robert Tapper voted for Fury correctly but close, 114/112; while the 3rd judge, Phil Edwards called the fight a Draw.

What fight were Rochin and Edwards watching is a mystery to me which should justify their suspension from judging fights. Fury clearly, and unanimously won the fight. The two knockdowns he suffered could not have erased his insurmountable lead.

Fury who says he was named after Mike Tyson, gallantly stated that he knew he had defeated Wilder but, “I don’t hold any grudges and we can fight again to settle the score, maybe in the U.K.” I can see a packed soccer stadium.

Fury further said, “I am glad we are well and could go back to our families in good health”.

Wilder surprisingly stated that “I knew that I won because I scored 2 knock downs." That was a self-serving statement or Wilder is delusional thinking 2 knockdowns after being out boxed for 8 to 9 rounds made him a winner, and shockingly but not surprising many agreed with Wilder.

This debate will go on until they fight again. The bigger tragedy here is that Deontay Wilder, still undefeated, will continue to fight the same one-handed way and never improve nor develop into a total 2-handed boxer with an entire fighter’s arsenal, in his always blind hungry quest to look for a knockout. If he boxes, Wilder, a good athlete with power, would always eventually find the knockout without looking for it.

In all honesty perhaps it would’ve been a good awakening and a positive lesson. Hopefully Wilder and his training crew with main trainer Mark Breland will study the fight film and try to correct the mistakes. Although there is great anticipation in a rematch between Fury and Wilder, the expected excitement of the mega fight between Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder has cooled down because of Wilder’s poor performance against Fury.